Editing Tufted duck (section)

==Behaviour and ecology==
===Breeding===
[[File:Aythya fuligula MWNH 1014.JPG|thumb|upright=0.8|Eggs in the collection of [[Museum Wiesbaden]]]]
In northern Europe breeding takes place between mid May and the end of July. They are not colonial but sometimes the nests can be in a loose group. Most nests are placed beside water; an island site is preferred. The nest is built by the female and consists of depression in the ground that is lined with grass, reeds and down. The clutch consists of 8–11 greenish-grey eggs that measure {{cvt|59|x|41|mm}}. They are incubated by the female starting after the clutch is complete so that they hatch synchronously. The female covers the eggs with down when she is away from the nest. The eggs hatch after around 25 days (range 23–28 days). The young are [[precocial]] and [[nidifugous]]. They can feed themselves and are cared for by the female who broods them when they are small. They typically fledge when aged between 45 and 50 days. Tufted ducks usually first breed at one year but occasionally at 2 years.{{sfn|Cramp|1977|p=584}}

=== Food and feeding===
These birds feed mainly by diving, but they will sometimes upend from the surface.<ref name=Lack/> They eat [[mollusc]]s, aquatic [[insect]]s and some plants and sometimes feed at night.